Queen Bee

insects · bees · colony

The royal mother. A queen bee is the mother of thousands of bees in her hive. She's the only bee that can lay eggs, which means she's responsible for growing the entire colony.

Special beginning. Queen bees don't start out special. Worker bees choose certain larvae and feed them royal jelly, a super-nutritious food, which transforms them into queens with fully developed reproductive organs.

Protected at all costs. Bees guard their queen fiercely and will do almost anything to keep her safe. There's normally only one adult queen in a hive, and the colony follows her and protects her like she's the most important member of the family.

The only egg layer. While worker bees and male drones have other jobs, the queen bee's main job is laying thousands of eggs. This keeps the hive growing and healthy throughout the year.